Segerstrom Hall holds ‘Rite of Spring’ 100th anniversary June 6 – 8
With the arrival of the centennial of Stravinsky’s iconic masterwork, a reverberation of celebration can be heard around the symphonic world and Pacific Symphony is no exception, offering a variety of activities from June 6 through June 8. In conceiving “The Rite of Spring,” Stravinsky broke all the rules and defied convention, and it is very much in this spirit that the Symphony approaches its celebration culminating with a party on the arts plaza, featuring the Symphony’s second “Inside and Out” Plazacast and Community Celebration with a free live simulcast of the concert projected onto the wall of Segerstrom Hall.
Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the festival also includes: The Sacre Project, part art installation, part performance piece, a cross-disciplinary project created by artists from UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts; the ReRite Project (remix, reinterpret and/or reimagine!), a call for artworks of all kinds (art, music, dance); video dance booth; and, of course, concerts led by Music Director Carl St.Clair featuring the provocative work itself.
“The premiere of Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’ was one of the most important moments in all of music history,” says Music Director Carl St.Clair. “It is a work that literally single- handedly changed the course of music. It will be a riveting way to finish the Symphony’s season.”
Considered one of the most significant and influential classical composers of the 20th century, Stravinsky (1882–1971) experimented with a number of styles over the course of his career, with innovation always an integral component of his work. He saw a great deal of change in music throughout his lifetime; as a child, he witnessed Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky conduct and yet also lived to witness the break-up of The Beatles!
‘The Rite of Spring’ depicts an ancient pagan ritual sacrifice, which culminates with a young girl dancing herself to death. Inside the concerts: The festival of events centers around performances of the composer’s provocative “The Rite of Spring” (last performed by the orchestra in 2008), led by Maestro St.Clair, on Thursday-Saturday, June 6-8, at 8 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall (preview talk with Alan Chapman beginning at 7 p.m.).
Arrive early (5 p.m.) and enjoy activity booths and a slate of community ensembles performing on the arts plaza. For more information, call (714) 755-5799 or visit PacificSymphony.org.
Schedule Of Events
5 p.m.: Food trucks and activity booths open
5:10-5:25 p.m.: Fortunates Woodwind Quartet
5:30-5:50 p.m.: Laguna Flutes
6-6:35 p.m.: Helix Collective
6:45-7 p.m.: Santa Ana Strings
7 p.m.: Alan Chapman Preview (in hall)
7 p.m.: The Sacre Project (Samueli)
7:30 p.m.: Rich Capparela preview (plaza)
8 p.m.: Concert (in hall)/Plazacast (on plaza) begins